On The Fly

February 15, 2014

For one Saturday morning, T.J. Oshie was the greatest American hero and Jonathan Quick was his sidekick. Oshie's shootout performance lifted the U.S. to a 3-2 victory over Russia in an epic Olympic game Saturday. Oshie, the St. Louis Blues forward, converted four of six shootout opportunities, including the winner that he slipped through Sergei Bobrovsky's pads. Meanwhile, Quick had 29 saves and stopped five shootout attempts to seal the win. The Hamden-raised goaltender simply enhanced his reputation as one of the best in the world and he got lots of face time as fans — and, for that matter, non-fans — tuned in for the duel. It was a great day for U.S. hockey.

The Trinity men's squash team advanced to the national title match for the 18th consecutive year with a win Saturday over Yale. The No. 2 Bantams will play No. 1 Harvard with the Potter Trophy at stake Sunday in Cambridge. Trinity, of course, won 13 consecutive titles before losing in the 2012 championship match before winning another title last year. … UConn's backcourt was the difference in an 86-81 overtime win over Memphis at the XL Center. Shabazz Napier had 34 points and Ryan Boatright 21, combining for 64 percent of the Huskies' points.

Best way to endure the incessant snow? Let your mind wander to the green grass and blue sky of Florida, where spring training is getting underway. In Tampa, Masahiro Tanaka jogged in the outfield and threw 32 pitches in the bullpen with dozens of reporters and cameras chronicling his every move Saturday. The Yankees' new ace threw in the bullpen with CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova, which could shape up as a pretty good rotation if all four stay healthy. … In Fort Myers, Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters that he is keeping his attention on the players in camp and not on those who might be arriving. Translation: Boston seems ready to move on without Stephen Drew. Dynamic rookie Xander Bogaerts has been told to focus on shortstop, a clear sign that Drew's not walking through the door.

For what it's worth, the Yankees and Red Sox didn't hesitate to re-issue the numbers of their departed free agents. Robinson Cano's No. 24 is being worn by Yankees' non-roster infielder Scott Sizemore. And Jacoby Ellsbury's No. 2 has been taken by Bogaerts in Red Sox camp. … A belated RIP for Jim Fregosi, the former big league player and manager who died early Friday morning. He loved the game and was one of the great storytellers, always willing to pull a chair and regale writers. Not to be forgotten: Fregosi had a nice run as the Angels' shortstop in the 1960s.